Web-guiding device.



L. B. DOMAN. Y

WEB GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MR2 who.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

acusan EM /Z UNirED srairns eairENT onirica.

LEWIS DOMAN, OF ELBR-IDGE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AUTOPIANO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WEB-GUIDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914;

Application filed January 2, 1909. Serial No. 470,431.

To all Iwhom it may concern Be it known that I, Lewis B. DOMAN, of Elbridge, In the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and' useful Improvements in Web-Guiding Devices, ofwhich the following, taken in con- .set forth in my pending applications No.

422,970. filed March 24th. 1908and No.

461,931. tiled November 10th, 1908, the laitter vresulting in Patent 939,897, Nov. 5), 1909. and although it is specifically adapted for maintaining'normal alinement or registration between the music sheet and tracker bar, it is equally useful in guiding any traveling web or sheet relatively to some other part with which it is associated. In this class of apparatus the normal relation between the traveling sheet or web and tracker bar is automatically maintained through the medium of suitable air ports coacting with the music sheet or with suitable valves controlled by such music sheet, together with the pneumatic or pneumatics communicatiir;r with said ports and brought into action by the abnormal shifting of either web or tracker bar to restore normal relation between such parts.

The width of the same or diiferent webs or sheets frequently varies, either by cutting or by expansion or contraction, and the essential object of my present invention and those previously referred to is to provide a suitable means for simultaneously adjustingr the ports and guide fingers (when the latter' are used) toward and from each o'ther to conform to the dtl'erent widths of the web or .sheet with which .such ports 'coact. so that the sensitiveness of the pneumatic for restoring normal relation between the music sheet or web and tracker bar may be maintained.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the mechanism will be brought out in the followingr description.

ln the draufings-ltigilre 1 1.. a trout. clevation of a portion ot' a music `oox. showing the tracker bar. and my invention applied thereto, the music sheet being shown by dottedA lines, while the restoring pneumatic is shown partly in section.v Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan, partly in section and partly broken away, of the tracker barshowing the adjustable ports and guide fingers for the music sheet. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the tracker bar, showing'the adjusting means for the ports and guide fingers. F ig. 4 is a top plan, partly in section and partly broken away, of a moditied formof my invention, in which the adjustable ports open at the face of the tracker bar and are adjustable relatively tlereto. the. guide fingers being omitted.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive comprises a tracker bar 1-, valve ports -2-, guide fingers -3-, and adjustable supports -4- for the guide fingers and valve ports, said guide fingers carrying suitable valves --5Y normally closing the ports -2-. These ports are connected by conduits '-0 to a suitable pneumatic T having a central partition -8-, dividingthe pneumatic -7- into compartments 9 and 9 to which the conduits 6 are respectively connected. The movable partition `8- of the pneumatic 7- is normally balanced hy equal air pressure at opposite sides thereof in the air chambers il and Sl when normal relation exists between the tracker har 1-v and the traveling web or sheet -r/,-. The movable member 8 is connected h v a link -10- to the tracker bar -1- to impart motion from the partition 8- to Asaid tracker bar, when the pneumatic balance of the partition -8- is disturbed by the opening of one vor the other of the ports -2- duc to the relative shift-- ing ot' the. music sheet or tracker bar by the action of the edge of the music sheet upon one or the other of the guide fingers Ill have found it more convenient to shift the tracker har to maintain normal relation between,.it and the music sheet, and for this purpose have connected the movable portion of pneumatic MT- directly to said tracker bar, although it is c vident that a similar connection may be made with the music sheet support for shifting the music .sheet relatively to the. tracker har` if desired.

The tracker bar 1 -'is adjustable length Wise upon suitable supports -11- forming, in this instance, the sides of the 'music-box .of a self playing instrument, said tracker bar being provided with a plurality of,v in this inst-ance two, elongated openings or rejecting ears upon the adjustable brackets .-4- at the rear of the tracker bar, the front ends of the guidev fingers -3- being extended through the recesses or openings 12'-, and a. short distance beyond the front face of the tracker bar, where they are adapted to contact with the opposite longitudinal edges of the music sheet for guiding the latter in its travel across the face of the tracker bar. The portionof the fingers projecting through the apertures or recesses -12* are of considerablyY lesswidth than the length of the openings to allow for ample adjustment of the fingers lengthwise of the bar to lconform to the different widths of the web or music sheet. The'front end of the fingers -3 are provided with inwardly projecting shoulders or paper rests -14-. havin their front faces coincident with that of tie tracker bar for supporting the edges of the sheet and thereby preventing depression of the edge ot the sheet into the recesses 12 while-traveling across the fare of the tracker bar. 'lhe opposite or rear ends ofthe guide fingers -3- are pro- .vided with the valves 5 normally closing the ports -2-,. which otherwise would open to the atmosphere, said fingers being .spring tensioncd by springs 16- to yieldingly hold the valves closed. The brackets --4-- carrying the respective ports 2- aiid guide fingers 3- are, as' previously stated, mounted upon the tracker bar --1-- and are adjustable toward and from each other lengthwiseof the bar by means of a cam or double crank arm --17-, (Fig. 3) and links-155-v and -19- connected respectively to the opposite brackets fl-3 the double crank arm being, in this irl/stance, lsecured to a pivoted spindle -20- (Fig. 2) which is journaled in the tracker bar, and is provided on its front end with a hand piece or knob -2l by which the lever may be turned upon its axis to simultaneously shift brackets -4- and parts carried thereby in opposite directions. Each bracket t is slidably held inplace by a screw -2'2-, which is passed through an elongated slot in the foot of the bracket to per mitthe longitudinal adjustment previously 'position the valves described, the portion of the screw which passes through the slot being surrounded by a roller of sufficient length to prevent bindvIn Fig. ik I have shown the conduit which in turn are mounted in brackets -4-.

andv have their front ends extending through the openings or recesses .-1;2 and terminating in a plane coincident with the face of tracker bar and across which the edges of the musiesheet are adapted to travel. The mouths of the ducts -28- therefore constitute guide openings, which under normal conditions are covered by the. edges of the music sheet, and being connected to thechambersV -9 and .SV- of the pneumatic -'l0-, it is evident that if ene of the ports isV uncovered by the shifting of the music sheet or 'tracker bar the movable member of the pneumatic -i'- will be brought linto action to restore normal relations between such parts, it being understood that the tracker bar of the device shown in Fig. -l-'- is connected to the movable portion 8 in the same manner as shown in'Fig. -1--.

In operation the tracker bar and music sheet are normally adjusted so that the perforations of the music sheet will register with corresponding ducts 23- in the trackerbar, the guide lingers f5- being adjusted vto iightly engage the opposite longitudinal edges of the music sheet in which *M ports SZ- thereby causing an equal air tension' in the air chambersl i) and 9', to normally balance the. partition -S--. `If for anyreasoii the traveling music sheet should shift laterally relative to the tracker bar sutlicientto move one ot' thc lingers -3 from its normal position, the corresponding valve -5- would be opened thereby, allowing the air to pass througlrtube G+ into the corresponding chamber 9 or 9', thus; increasing the air pressure in such chamber and causing the movable portion --bto shift to- .ward the oppbsihx side of the pneumatic and correspondingly shift the' tracker bar into normal relation with the music sheet. .Xfter normal relation between thetracker bar and.

normally closev music heet has been restored, the miivable partition will remain in itsshifted position y reason of the equality of air tension in the opposite chambers -9- and -9- lintil again shifted by abnormal relation between said bar and sheet. If the web or music sheetis of greater or less width than the distance between the contact portions of the guide lingers -3-, the latter may be readi ily adjusted into close engagement. with the edges of the music sheet by simply turning the knob 2l-- in one direction or another, thereby shifting the fingers in opposite directions an equal distance, which enables the sheet to maintain its normal line of travel with reference to the ducts of the'tracker bar. In like manner the guide openings or ducts -28 may be adjusted to bring both of the said openings directljY under the edges of the web or music sheet and if either thev music sheet or tracker bar should shift laterally sufficient to uncover one of the ports,

the air Vpressure in the corresponding cham.

ber of the pneumatic -7- would be increased causing the movable portions of the pneumatic to restore normal relations between the tracker bar and music sheet.

"hat I claim is 1. In a web guiding device, valves having movable lingers engaging the edges of and adapted to be actuated bv the web when the -latter shift-s from its normal line of travel,

pneumatic means brought into action by the movement of either of said valves for restoring the web to its normal line of travel, and separate means for adjusting said lingers for different widths of webs.l

:2. In a web guiding device, a bar, a pair of supports relatively adjustable on said bar, lingers movably mounted on the supports engaging the longitudinal edges of the web and adapted to be operated thereby when the web shifts in either direction from its normal line of travel, and means controlled by said fingers for restoring the web to its normal line of travel.

3. In combination with a tracker bar and perforated music sheet of a self-playing musical instrument, valves having movable lingers contacting with opposite edges of the sheet. and adapted to be operated by abnormal shifting of the sheet, means controlled by said valves for maintaining normal relation between the sheet and tracker bar, and separate means for adjusting the movable lingers to conform to different. widths of rheets.

l. lu combination with a tracker bar and a perforated music slteel of a self-playing musical instrument. contactmembers adjust ably mounted o`n the l bar and contacting with opposite edges of the sheet: pneumatic means 'controlled by said members for maintaining normal relation between the music sheet and tracker bar. and separate means for simultaneously adjusting both -members lengthwise of the bar.

5. The combination with the tracker bar and a perforated music sheet of a self-playing musical-instrument, of a pair of simultaneously adjustable contact fingers mounted upon thetracker bar to engage the longitudinal edges of the music sheet and adapted 'to be moved by the shifting of the sheet in eithendirectionvfrom its normal line of travel, and means controlled by the movement of said fingers operable to restore normal relations Vbetween the'sheet and the tracker bar.

(3. In combination with a tracker bar and perforated music sheet of a self-playing musical instrument, a movable uide member having a portion thereof un erlying the sheet and another portion contacting with the edge thereof, and pneumatic meansl controlled by said member for maintaining normal relation between the sheet and tracker bar.

i. ln combination with a tracker bar and traveling music sheet of a self-playing musical instrument, levers having portions thereof contacting with the opposite edges of the sheet and adapted to be operated by abnormal shifting of the sheet, pneumatic means controlled by said levers for maintaining normal relation. between the .sheet and tracker bar, and separate means for simultaneously adjusting the leversto `conform to dilferent widths of sheets. A

8. ln eon'ibination with a tracker bar-and traveling music sheet of a self-playing musical instrument, mechanism for auto matically maintaining normal relation between the music sheet and tracker bar comprising a pair of exhaust chambers and a movable partition between said chambers normally balanced by equal air tension therein. connections between the partition andtracker bar, and separate atmosphere ports relatively adjustable on the tracker' bar` and each connected by an unobstructed passage directly to one of the exhaust chambers.

il. In a device ot the class described, the combination of a tracker. means for supporting the tracker so that it can more laterally,

and means including valves having lingers.

on the tracker for engaging the sheet and keepingr the tracker in register therewith. said fingers having projecting lugs thereon to support the sheet.

l0. ln a device of the class described, the combination of a tracker. bearings for supporting the same SQ as to permit a free lateral pla)1 thereof, and means including valves havingr sheet engaging lingers carried by the tracker for keeping the tracker in register with the sheet.

l1. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a tracker, means for support- In witness whereof I Vhave hereuntol set ing the same s0 that it can move laterally, my hand this IQ day of December, 1908. sheet engaging fingers Carried by the tracker. LEWIS B. DOMAN. and means for adjusting the sheet engaging Witnesses: 5 fingers so that they will always be equall)- CLAUDE L. HAMLIN,

distant from the center of the tracker. M. E. ELLlo'rr. 

